WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Help to Ukraine is pouring in from across the world as the country tries to fend off Russian attacks, and the U.S. is leading the international community in the next steps.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin led a meeting with nearly 50 countries on Monday to discuss coordinating efforts to send Ukraine weapons and economic assistance. This was the second meeting of the so-called Ukraine Contact Group.


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“We’re intensifying our efforts,” Austin said. “We are supporting them and their effort to defend their sovereign territory. The rest of the international community is doing the same.”

President Joe Biden recently authorized another $100 million in military spending for Ukraine. General Mark Milley says every dollar counts.

“The Ukranian military’s capacity to defend their homeland against Russian attack is directly tied to the quantity and quality of the assistance they are receiving,” Milley said.

With the U.S. deepening its involvement in the conflict, there are constant concerns that Russia could directly retaliate.

“Focused on managing risk and the potential for escalation. We are watching this factor very very closely,” Milley said.


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Despite the risk, U.S. military leaders are adamant that helping Ukraine is worth it.

“There’s a rules-based international order and the powerful and the big can’t just destroy and invade the weak and the small,” Milley said.

They believe the outcome of the conflict will impact the entire world.

“Everyone here understands the stakes of this war. And they stretch far beyond Europe,” Austin said.

Secretary Austin noted there will be another meeting of the group in June in Brussels so they can continue to discuss aid efforts.

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